In an early episode of Pokemon, a person comments that if a charmander's tail flame goes out, it dies. In "Island of the Giant Pokemon" however, Charmander is thrown into the air (along with several other people and Pokemon) and lands in the ocean. I'm glad he survived, but technically, this would have killed him.

Hey, PJPoon, congratulations on figuring out that Alt 130 stuff. That kind of thing confuses a lot of people. That makes four people around here who know how to get the é. Eggmaster, you've gotta be pretty dang ignorant to ignore the fact that Pokémon CAN die. I mean, Pokémon Tower was built in memory of Pokémon that had DIED!
DUH!!!!!
So next time, Eggmaster, check your good old GB Pokémon game before posting any more comments, all right all right? The only thing you are is the Master of Disaster. I mean, every time you say something, we all get into a big fight and then Mars comes in and puts an end to it, the topic gets shut down, and nobody says anything else.
What I have just said will do one of two things.
1. Everybody will shut up or
2. We will get into a big fight, Mars will stop it, and THEN everybody will shut up. That was a ton of typing. Goodbye all! =)

"Pokemon can't die. Huh-huh." HEY MAW! GET THE HOSE! They're living creatures, of course they can die! That's like the most arrogant thing I've ever heard! They don't die in the game because it would freaking UPSET the kids, man! It'd have been banned by now just like Badger baiting!
I don't know why Charmander didn't croak at that point but remember that a Charmander's tail flame is fueled from the inside. Mythology says that dragons have hearts of liquid fire, I believe this is similar to that. On top of this they weren't underwater that long, but you're right, Charmander would have been eleminated faster than James in a beauty contest (sorry to remind you all of that O_O)

Yes, Pokemon can't die in the game, that is if you exclude
all of the people in Lavender town who talk about Team Rocket
killing Marowak, the people wining about they're deceased Pokemon in
Pokemon Tower and the fact that Pokemon Tower was built in honor of
Pokemon that had DIED! (In case you haven't noticed I'm being sarcastic)
So it IS possible for Pokemon to die in the series, although you never see it!

the person who said Charmander would die if his flame went out was Brock. Plus, Charmander, Pikachu and most of Ash's other Pokemon were stranded on the island, they jumped into the minecart which shortly after splashed into the water, it would be pretty dang hard to get into their pokeballs. Plus, at the beginning of the episode, the pokemon got out of their pokeballs with Ash nowhere in sight, they never carried their pokeballs or anything, how did Ash get them back???